THE NEW LIQUOR BILL

Te Aroha News, Volume XII, Issue 1783, 30 October 1895, Page 2

THE NEW LIQUOR BILL

It was with no little surprise that wo learned that the. Legislative Cuuqjdil had practically caved in on the. Liquor Bill. The determination with which the Council' upset the provisions of the Bill left it pretty well a dead certainty that there could bo no compromise. It was not, therefore, much a matter of surprise that the first conference between the , representatives of the two Houses ended in failure. The Council's delegatee, however, aba idoned their proposal tliat half tho votes on the electoral roll should bo. recorded and were further willing that the elec tors should vote if they choose on two questions.—-reduction- and no license. Those concessions left only the issues of national prohibition and club clauses to be dealt with,..- 0n these' up compromise could be effected, and the delegates reported accordingly for each House. '*lt was then decided that a further conference' should be asked foi\ v .. This was agreed to, and fresh delegates were appointed from each House. 'These delegates met and came to a compromise, which, although not full y , satisfactory to the Temperance'Party,: is a; fair settlement. By this compromise the Council's amendments remain, wiping the national prohibition out ofthe Bill, and dealing with clubs, except that club charters will not be granted for closed hotels. ' ... The Bill now stands as follows :—lt provides for three questions being submitted to local option ; continuance, reduction, or extinction, The electors have the-right to vote on any two of the three proposals. A bare majority carries reduction, and a three-fifths majorityof those voting, carries prohibition.. The'provisions' for the local option voting thus remain as they left tho Lower House. The provisions for the polling are drawn in such a way as to prevent the universal mix-ups that occurred under tho previous Bill. Tho vote for no license covers every description of license.-. At the present .time there may bo in force iu the Gliitlia district five classes ,of licensos that are lawful—wholesale, ‘ packet, N.Z. wine, conditional, and railway. Under the Bill as it now stands the whole of thf'so will be swept away. ■ The provisions for counting the votes are that where there is requisite majority- for. prohibition, that takes precedence of .everything .else. Then there is a splendid enforcement clause, which will enable the provisions for prohibition to be strietly enforced.